Russia’s Novatek starting up first Yamal LNG train

Novatek has started commissioning activities on the first liquefaction unit at its Yamal liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in the Russian Arctic.

Once in full production, the first Yamal liquefaction train is expected to produce about 5.5 million tonnes of the chilled fuel per year.

Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer, Novatek and its partners in the $27 billion Yamal LNG project are on track to start production at the LNG export plant, Russia’s second, by the end of this year.

This was revealed during a meeting in Moscow attended by the Deputy Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Alexey Sitnikov and Denis Khramov, Deputy Chairman of Novatek’s Management Board, according to a statement by the Yamal governor’s office issued on Monday.

The three-train Yamal LNG plant, designed to produce about 16.5 Mtpa, will liquefy natural gas from the South Tambey field on the Yamal Peninsula in Russia’s West Siberia.

It will be built in three phases which are scheduled for start-up in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively.

Shareholders in Yamal LNG are Novatek, as the operator with a 50.1 percent stake, CNPC and Total with a 20 percent stake each and China’s Silk Road Fund with a 9.9 percent stake.

Besides its Yamal LNG project, Novatek is also planning to build its second LNG export project to be located on the Gydan peninsula.

Novatek has started the design works on the Arctic LNG-2 project, the statement by the Yamal governor’s office reads.

The LNG project is expected to have the same output as the Yamal project.